Byleth: Class is in session
by Blueshade Seraphim
Summary: If you’re hoping to learn more about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, or are new to Fire Emblem in general, Byleth’s here for a little Blueshade approved one-on-one.
1. The basics

**(DISCLAIMER: The following is not really a "fanfiction" per se, but rather, it's a little introduction to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. So if you're wanting to learn about the game with minimal spoilers, whether if you've been recommended it, or you simply wish to see what's new from other installments in FE, you're in the right place. Just as a warning, I'm very prone to going off on a tangent, so I apologize in advance. Now then, get your thinking caps on.)**

It's no secret that Fire Emblem is a game for the smart, and the passionate. The meat of the gameplay is basically a more advanced variant of chess. You have different pieces, or as we call them, "units", that have different things to offer in a battle. But to help give you the basics, let's start off by getting you through your first battle. Good plan? Great plan.

**Interactive cutscenes:**

The first thing you'll encounter after booting up the game is a little introductory conversation with a strange little girl on a throne. After spouting some words, you'll be given a chance to respond via three dialogue boxes. Though it's a war game, Fire Emblem has developed its identity from engaging with its cast of characters. Bonds are important, so when given options on how to respond to someone, it's best to say something they'd wanna hear. As the game progresses, you'll need to learn about your allies for this reason. We'll go into more detail in a later chapter. For now, just answer honestly. You should know you guessed right by a raindrop sound effect. Some of these choices are inconsequential, and if this is the case, nothing will happen either way outside of minor dialogue changes. But always be prepared for the times your words matter down the road.

**Combat:**

Alrighty, now that we're out of the gate and into our first fight, let's teach you how to defend yourself. In every battle, you will be supplied a number of troops at your command. These troops are distinguishable by a blue circle around them. Meanwhile, enemies have a red circle. As such, they will attack you if you get in range. If you see someone on the map with a green circle around them, it means they're an ally. Allies are fighters that you can't control, but they won't do you any harm. Heck, in most cases they even fight alongside you. Anyway, let's talk about how moving and attacking. If you move the cursor over one of your units, you'll see a radius of where that unit can move. The blue squares are anywhere they can move that turn, and anywhere in the radius of the red squares are where they can attack. Click on the unit, and you'll be able to move them wherever you want, but before you attack, I'd recommend you click on the ZR button. It's the right button on the back of your controller. You should see a large area of pink appear. If any of your units are in that area when your turn ends, the enemy can and will attack them. Back to business, if you want to attack an enemy, click on a unit, and if the enemy is in range, click on them immediately after. Now you'll be looking at "the battle forecast". It shows you the most likely result of the battle you're about to initiate. It shows you how much HP is lost from both combatants, and the percentage chance of their hits landing. A general rule of thumb for me is that I like to hit my opponent when the chance of landing is 70% or higher. Still following me? Good.

If you want to try doing something else with the unit you've selected, simply press B and you'll be cancelled out of whatever action you were in. If you do go through with an attack, you'll be treated to a view of the fight. There's nothing you can do to interfere, so just relax and enjoy the show. Once you've done what you wanted to do with your unit, they will go colorless, which means you can't use them again until next turn. Now, 3 of your 4 fighters are close ranged, and can only attack from one square away, but you'll notice that one of your units, Claude, does not have this limitation. This is because Claude is an archer. He can attack units from two squares away, but not one. So if anyone attacks him from close range, he won't be able to counter attack. You'll get to try out and fight more archers later in the game. With all damage that you deal and receive, you'll get EXP, and if you get enough, your unit will level up and get a somewhat random boosts to their stats. But, units get more EXP if they're the one to land the killing blow. So if you wanna make one particular unit stronger, let them have that honor. This is especially true for boss characters, indicated by a medal icon on the map screen. But since this is your first battle, you'll have no trouble deducing the boss is that ugly dude who looks different than the other bandits. Also, if you see any trees, I'd recommend you put your units in those while attacking if possible. Trees give you a boon that makes you harder to hit. The enemy's turn will begin when all of your units have acted. After they all move, it'll be back to you. This will keep going until a victor is decided.

**Extra tips:**

As the name of this game implies, you will have the chance to join one and only one of three houses. No need to know what the houses are in this context, but you should know that everyone other than your character, (the one with green hair), are leaders of these respective houses. And unfortunately, you cannot ever control the other house leaders once you choose a house. Obviously you know next to nothing about these three, so making that judgement is up to you, but while you don't have to choose until a bit later, you'll want to get cozy with your house leader of choice. You'll see that if you place your character by one of the house leaders, you'll be given the option "talk". Choose this option, and you'll hear them thank you for your aid, and your support will go up. It's not crucial to building your relationship, and it will use up the moving unit's turn, but if you wanna go for it, by all means, feel free. And while it's really really early in the game, (no joke, this game has lots of content), if you've decided who you want to support, try sparing as much EXP as possible from this fight for you and them. After all, you're not going to be working with the other two, so there's no point in making them stronger. Lastly, after the fight you'll see a conversation between you and these three. They'll all offer you to help them in the future, and it's clear you should pick whoever you like the most. You'll get a chance to meet the houses in a minute, so don't feel too bad if you change your mind after meeting the students. Like I said, these things help, but they're not too crucial.

**And congrats!**

Woowee. That was MUCH more complicated when written out than I expected. But don't worry, if you're a seasoned gamer or have a seasoned gamer in the household, **(Looking at you, dad) **You should have no issue adjusting to these things when you try the real thing. And of course, I apologize to any Fire Emblem veterans I've no doubt bored to death with information they already knew. Next chapter will be about something that's new to everyone who hasn't played (or seen) the game: The monastery. See you guys then!


	2. The monastery

**(You honor me by delving deeper into the blue canvas of my story. Now I shall attempt to demonstrate my gratitude in this chapter. Enjoy~)**

So you're fresh out of clearing the first level. And I'm delighted to say, this means you can take a breather and familiarize yourself with your new home: Garreg Mach Monastery. After a few cutscenes, you'll be free to tour the campus to your heart's content. Well, in a way. See, certain areas of the monastery won't be available just yet. You'll be able to unlock them as you go, so don't worry about that. Before I give you the rundown of what you can expect in your new career as a professor, I'd like to go over something I missed last chapter. Combat Arts. Think of them like special attacks your units can use if your normal attacks don't cut it. You can shuffle through them by making it to the battle forecast, and hitting the ZL or ZR buttons. Just keep in mind that using these arts will drain your weapon's durability faster. Use your weapon too many times, and it'll break. As for how much life your weapon has left, the number is always listed near said weapon, and the cost for a Combat Art has this perk as well. Okay, let's get this church sponsored party started!

**What can I do here?**

After all the cutscenes are done, you'll be free to check out the facilities, and the students you may wind up teaching. Because you're a professor, your job is to develop the skills of your students, but every Saturday you'll be granted a free day in which to do one of 4 things. Sometimes you'll be forced to choose one option, in which case you won't have to weigh the pros and cons of each decision. So let's start with the one you're doing right now: exploration.

**Exploration:**

As you probably guessed by the name, exploration allows you to freely roam the campus, and talk to the staff and students. Every in-game month, you'll be presented with some chances to build bonds, or so small favors for others in exchange for rewards, money, and renown. Renown is a fun little currency that can be spent on all kinds of cool stuff! If you're starting a new game, they can only be spent on upgrading a series of statues later on that give you some handy perks that you can keep, but if you're on new game , (which requires that you have one completed game file already), you can use it to regain the skills you or your students from that file had. Raise supports that you've already unlocked before. They can even boost your professor level. We'll talk about that last part later. But I must emphasize that for any of these, you, or whoever else plays the game has to have done it the hard way first. But back to exploration. You can use this time to talk to the other characters, and as a result, grow bonds with them. It's in your best interest to talk to everyone you can each month, because you may get to a new support level with them. Other than talk, you'll gain access to other actions as the game progresses. But whatever you set out to do, professor points are important. Professor points will determine how much you can get done in that one day, and you can increase your points by increasing your professor level. How do you do that? Well, there are many ways. Answer a student's question during the week, maybe sit down and have a meal with them, participate in chorus, even fishing. Yeah, fishing. Fishing in particular doesn't raise your level up that much, but it doesn't cost you any professor points. So as long as you have a lure to spare, you can do it as much as you please.

With sharing a meal at the dining hall, or doing chorus, it's a good idea to try pairing the students who will get the most out of it. They are indicated by a blue arrow, and are found at the top of the list. The dish you choose will give you and the units you've chosen a temporary stat boost in one area for that month. But you can only make a meal you have the ingredients for, unless you look at the special or full menu. Chorus has no such bonus, but it will still increase your bond. Chorus always favors the units who are the most fit for singing, which makes sense. So for instance, Manuela, the former opera singer. Both of these events also increase motivation for the attendees. We'll discuss that more under "lessons". After talking to students, you'll see a variety of further actions depending on how far you are in the game. There's Faculty Training, where you can improve your skills for one of your weapons from staff like Seteth, or Hanneman. Next is Lost Item and Gift. Both have you giving something to a character, and if you're successful, it'll get your relationship up and raise their motivation. With Lost Item, you must locate an item somewhere in the monastery that belongs to someone. The person who lost it will be indicated in the item's description. Gifts meanwhile can be given to anyone, and as long as it's not something they'd find worthless, it'll have the desired effect. But it will be more potent if the gift is something they'd actually want. Even if you give it to them multiple times that day, they'll still like it. There's also an arena where you can test the strength of your students for cash and prizes. Even if they lose, they'll still walk away with the money they won. It's useful for when you're in a pinch, and need quick coinage. There's a greenhouse in the monastery, where you can plant seeds to obtain ingredients for food, or flowers that you can gift to others. And finally there's tea time. If the character accepts, the two of you will sit down and enjoy some tea. After they have a sip, you'll be able to bring up a topic with them. Out of the three choices for each of the three topics, you should choose the one they'll like the most. I speak from experience when I say it isn't always obvious, but if you know your stuff, it should be a cake walk. Not sure if anyone even eats cake with tea.

Once you've had your fun, simply end the day and you'll be taking on the next week.

**Battle:**

Battle is pretty self-explanatory. If you choose it, you can go out and fight someone with your students. You'll always be told the difficulty of the enemy in question before you begin, so that's a nice feature. Take notice of the fact that your month's assignment is listed at the top, but you can't access it yet. It will only arrive on a certain date, but it will still enable you to see the level you should strive to be at before attempting it. So if you're behind, this is your chance to catch up. Your professor level will also determine how many battles you can attempt in one day, starting at one and maxing out at three. Just remember if you attempt to do more than one battle in the day, that durability will be a factor you should monitor carefully. Nothing would be more embarrassing than your weapon to break in the middle of a fight, right? And you can use the gold you've been given in your paycheck to buy new weapons. And if you're particularly well off, you can even spare some cash for other cool stuff like shields. Even though you won't be paying taxes, gold doesn't grow on trees, so shop smart.

**Lessons:**

Every Sunday, you'll give a lesson to your students. You can use your points here to increase your students' proficiency in their weapon of choice, or even a new skill entirely. Though what you do with your class is ultimately up to you, try focusing on their strengths. So for example, Felix uses a sword, so try to make him better at using it. But eventually, you'll want to upgrade your students to a stronger unit, and some of these upgrades require that they be good at certain things. So if you wanna get ahead of the game, try browsing their possible promotions and see what you need for them. There's also stuff like Goals, where you can customize what you want your students to focus on without your intervention, and Group Tasks. Group Tasks is where you assign two students to do something that week. It can get you ore, gold, and increase proficiency with some perks they may need like heavy armor, horse riding, or flying. And there's no reason not to set someone to do it, because there's no repercussions whatsoever So you remember that motivation I mentioned? Well, motivation will control how many times you can strengthen one student's skill. Just like in real life, a miserable and overworked student is less likely to want to learn. Someone should've told that to my science teacher. Like with lots of things in Fire Emblem, moderation is the key to success.

**Seminars:**

So what if you are on a Saturday and still want to boost someone's skills in something? A seminar is what you'd want to do. They're pretty much an extra lesson. Select the person to do the teaching, and look at the students that will show up to learn it. It will show the skills that your chosen instructor will raise, and their own talent with it. If they are ranked higher in a certain weapon, they will undoubtably do a better job of raising their peers' stats in that weapon. And it even increases the motivation of attendees by 50%, so that's cool.

**Rest:**

Ever had someone tell you to rest on it? Well, in this game that's actually sound advice. Rest is a simple action: you do nothing that day, but increase the motivation of your students. It's wise to use this option when it makes sense to. I myself have a schedule of exploring the first week, battling the second, resting on the third, and if there's a forth, using that to host a seminar.

**Recruitment:**

After you've met all the house members, or if you're a minimalist, just the house leaders, you'll pick what house you'll teach. But perhaps you're unhappy that a character you like doesn't happen to be in it. Well, there's an avenue you can try to get them on your team. There's an option called "recruit". If you are successful, the student in question will change houses and join you. That said, keep in mind that the process is usually very time consuming. Try recruiting them immediately, and they'll decline. But it'll also show you what skills they're impressed by. If you obtain a good level with those skills, they'll be more intrigued by your offer. Having high support levels with them also helps. I recommend aiming for level B, because it seems to work very consistently. Heck, you can even recruit other instructors, and other great fighters at the monastery. If you want to recruit one of these guys, having a skill they want won't be necessary. You just need to reach B support with them. But because you can only interact with them in explore, it's gonna be more of a challenge to get there. But if you're up for the task, go for it. As a fun little secret, if you're playing as a woman, you'll be able to recruit Sylvain instantly without any effort at all. What can I say? The dude's a ladies man. There are only a few people you can't recruit under any circumstance. These characters are only available in their respective houses. So sadly, you're just out of luck. These characters go as follows, listed in the houses they're reserved to:

**Black eagles: Edelgard and Hubert**

**Blue Lions: Dimitri and Dedue**

**Golden Deer: Claude and Hilda**

Also, you can't recruit Rhea in any path, but that does make sense considering she's technically your boss. If you happen to engage in the battle of the eagle and lion later in the game, be prepared for using your students only. Because it's a contest, staff of the monastery are not allowed to participate. Sorry. And lastly, there are certain characters that cannot be recruited, or even supported with. Don't be alarmed by these encounters, but this means they're pretty much living decoration. These characters are listed below:

**Jeritza, Monica, Tomas, Jeralt, Judith, Rodrigue, etc.**

**Got all that?:**

Golly, that was A LOT of stuff to get through. But now you can feel confident nothing about the monastery will catch you by surprise. Next chapter, I'll be going into more detail about battling, and the different types of units you may find yourself using, or fighting. If your brain isn't mush yet, I'll see you guys then.


	3. Rules of war

**(It's amazing Sothis sleeps on that throne of hers, considering it looks so uncomfortable. It's not soft of cushiony at all, it's made strictly out of stone. Oh well. As a not so subtle brag, I managed to complete the last route yesterday, so that's neat.)**

Your attendance is admirable. School had always been painful for me on account of how my classmates were still lacking in maturity. But you'll be instructing a class that doesn't blow out your eardrums with rap music, or cause mischief behind your back. In today's lesson, we'll be covering some avenues you may choose to explore with your students, as well as a few more combat tips. Ah, but first...

**Support system:**

I'm certain you beginners to Fire Emblem out there are confused by my mention of supports. Allow me to explain: A large part of FE's charm is getting to know the people around you. Battling on a tile next to another unit, as well as many of my previously stated methods raise the support of these two characters. And if you raise it enough, you'll unlock a support conversation, which is pretty much an optional scene where both units exchange some words. There are multiple supports for each combination of characters, and you'll never have to worry about it effecting the narrative, except for one. The four possible levels of support are C, B, A, and S. And they all typically follow the same formula: C introduces the topic that future conversations will explore, B will expand on that topic, and A is the resolution. So what is S then? Well, it's exclusive to your character. In S, you and whichever character you've selected will adopt a romantic relationship with one another. How sweet. This particular conversation is saved for the absolute end of the story, so you'll have plenty of time to decide who to elect for such an honor. Or if you're not interested, you even have the option of choosing no one. You can go through the support menu to see how far you can push a given relationship. Some pairings only have C and B, and some have a little double arrow over one of the letters, meaning that letter has a second conversation you can obtain through more bonding. Also, all A supports can only happen in the second half of the game, so don't freak out if your progress seems to be going nowhere.

**Types of units:**

Recall my chess analogy. Another way this comparison is strong is that every unit has different talents for different things. Keep this in mind as you plan out what you'll do with them in the future. Sword, lance, and axe users are all practically the same in terms of their potential in battle. In other games, you have something called the "weapon triangle" which is Rock Paper Scissors with weapons, but it's not in this game. What _doesn't _behave the way these core 3 weapons do though, is magic. There are two types of magic you can make use of: Reason is what we gamers call "black magic". Its purpose is to cause some level of inconvenience for the enemy. So if Annette was to blast an attacker with fire, that's reason. They also have the luxury of being able to hit an enemy from one OR two spaces away. Faith on the other hand, is white magic. It's supposed to give you a leg up. Usually that leg up is through healing. Every single house has someone who can use faith, and these guys are arguably one of the most important units you'll have. No matter how strong you are, you're gonna take damage at some point. It's inevitable. And when that happens, you'll want one of these healers nearby to keep you going. That said, if a magic user gets into a scrap with a really heavy hitter, like a brawler, they're gonna be in trouble. Those fancy robes aren't exactly the most protective. And this is ESPECIALLY true for healers. They are very weak in a fight, and they are pretty much the life support of your army. Any RPG player will tell you, **protect the healer!**

Standing in star contrast to this is armored units. As the name implies, these units are covered from head to toe in heavy looking armor. They have incredibly high defense, so getting hit by physical weapons isn't gonna hurt them that much. They're also pretty good at dolling out punishment, but not to the degree of a brawler. An armored unit's weakness? Magic. That stuff passes straight through that bulky armor and as the kiddies say, "really puts the hurt" on them. They're also useful for if you want to block an enemy from reaching your more vulnerable students.

Mounted units are pretty simple in theory. They ride on a horse, and as a result, they can move more spaces in a single turn. And if you happen to attack a unit, they have the opportunity to move again, in case you want to take them out of the danger zone. That last perk also extends to flying units, but whether it be a dragon rider or a pegasus knight, they also have the added benefit of being able to fly over walls, water, lava, and any hazard on the ground. That said, and I cannot stress this enough, do not let them anywhere near archers. For some reason, archers do an uncanny amount of damage to flying units. If you're not careful, they could probably kill them in two hits flat.

Finally, brawlers. This type of fighter doesn't actually show up as your enemy very often. Which is a good thing, because while they don't have the protective equipment of an armored unit, they're called brawlers for a reason: they can deal the highest level damage out of any standard unit, period. I've only ever used one brawler before, in the form of the Golden Deer's Raphael, but by the time he was done with most foes, they were reduced to swiss cheese by his gauntlets. If you want pure power on your team, this is what you're after.

**Battalions:**

Battalions are an interesting mechanic. Only a special few characters can use them from the start, and using them too much requires you to pay gold to resupply them. A battalion is a special attack where the soldiers accompanying a unit charge the enemy all at once. This may not be as damaging as other attacks at your disposal, but it has some unique perks: Firstly, your enemy cannot counter attack when you use it, and second, if you successfully land your hit, it will give your opponent a hefty debuff that'll make it easier to bump them off. They're also the ideal tool for dealing with a special type of enemy we'll discuss in a later chapter: Demonic Beasts. You'll be able to customize your battalions at the battalion guild that is located in the marketplace. But I myself have never needed to go there, so I can't comment on exactly what you can do there. Still, it's there.

**Divine Pulse:**

This feature will be introduced in your first official class assignment. This nifty power of your little friend from your dreams was what saved your hide in one of the first cutscenes, and by pressing the ZL button, (the other back button on the left), you'll be able to use it. This will allow you to rewind the battle to any point you desire. Even if you're at the very tail end of a fight, you can go all the way back to the beginning. This is great for if you make a mistake in battle, or misjudged where to position your troops. As with anything though, this ability has a limit that's replenished after every battle. If you're caught dead with none left, and you lose the fight, I'll guess I won't need to explain what would happen. If you've upgraded the statues at the monastery to a certain level, you'll increase the amount of times you can use Divine Pulse.

**Reinforcements:**

Reinforcements is something that can happen for you, or the enemy, depending on what level you're playing. Reinforcements for you always comes in the form of ally units. But more often than not, the reinforcements will be at the hands of the opponent. If you're in a battle, and suddenly hear one of the enemies say something along the lines of "we just need to hold them off until reinforcements arrive", that's a sign that translates to "beat us in the next two or so turns, or a few more bad guys will show up." How very polite of them to loudly announce when they're calling in some buddies to help. Sometimes enemy reinforcements is just one wave, and sometimes it's non-stop until certain conditions are fulfilled. Either way, if you don't win or complete that requirement in time you'll have a few more baddies on your hands.

**Saved by the bell:**

Great job, everyone. You get a gold star for today. In our next lesson, you can expect to learn about Demonic Beasts, and Hero's Relics. Don't write your fanfics while there's a screaming infant in the next room over, and see you guys then.


	4. Of monsters and weaponry

**(So you may be wondering who my favorite character is in Three Houses. I'll do you one better: Here's my top 3 favorite characters. 3rd is Rhea, 2nd is Dimitri, and 1st is Mercedes. My Blue Lions pride is really showing, huh? It was a match made in Fhirdiad.)**

Gather around, all you class instructors, aspiring students, and incompetent gatekeepers who are somehow immune to being fired. Today is a day about ferocious monsters, and ancient weaponry. Of exams, and sidequests. Don't expect phoenix mode to be there to save you out on the battlefield. Instead, you'll have my advice, for whatever that's worth. Let's get down to business.

**Demonic Beasts (Rawr!):**

They're big, they're scary, and they are here to grind your bones in their sharp teeth. Demonic Beasts are a tricky enemy type you'll be introduced to in one of the story mode maps. After that, the floodgates will be open for one of these things to pop up in later maps. These guys are easily identifiable by their huge size, taking up multiple tiles, but they probably won't find it funny if you make a "fat guy in a little coat" reference. Anyway, you may have times where you have to deal with multiple of these freakshows, so here's the game plan: Keep a battalion ready. Demonic Beasts can nullify a chunk of all damage taken by being surrounded by a shield of sorts. It will usually require you to use 2 attacks to break through said shield with normal attacks, but if you successfully land a battalion attack? That'll smash through on the first try, guaranteed. Just note that this will only apply to that single tile. Not the whole shield. Break enough of the shield, and the Demonic Beast will become confused, and unable to retaliate until the next turn. And if you manage to shatter the whole thing? Their armor will shatter, and they'll be wide open to just about anything. You'll even get some nifty ore, as a bonus. But if the shield remains intact for a bit, it'll regenerate itself. So don't waste too much time trying to show off. During the second enemy phase after the beast has noticed your units, they'll start charging up a special attack. This attack can cover a certain radius around them, and can hit anyone caught in the blast zone. But fortunately for you, this attack still obeys the game's rules. Meaning that just like any other attack, it has the potential of missing.

Demonic beasts come in many shapes and sizes, but one that you can keep an eye out for in the future is the winged ones. Don't expect them to fall too easily, but like all flying units, they have a weakness to archers. You may have also noticed some red crystal icons next to their health bar. These crystals are an indication of how much punishment the beast in question can take, because each of them represent another health bar! So if you bump into a Demonic Beast with 3 crystals, that means they have 4 health bars. And what's more, is that each enemy phase, they'll recover a small sliver of health. But once a health bar is gone, it's gone. So don't stress over them regenerating crystals. The strategy I usually employ is breaking through their defenses and then hammering them in their weak spot with everything that's able to hit it.

**Hero's relics:**

Recognizable by a single glance through their eye catching shine, these babies are the most powerful weapons you'll ever have the thrill of using. You'll get a chance to see how powerful they are on an early mission with Catherine, and her Hero's Relic, Thunderbrand. On their own, they are already pretty deadly, but when placed in the hands of someone with a compatible crest, they obtain their true power. The very first you'll have at your disposal, (and the only one that you'll have regardless of your path or students), is The Sword of the Creator. Because it's wielded by your character, it has a unique benefit that other Hero's Relics don't have. Namely, it's rechargeable. I'm dead serious. In any given battle, you can use it a total of 20 times. After those 20 uses however, it breaks. But all you need to do is rest, and you can restore its durability by 5. Or if you're impatient, you can restore it using some very, VERY rare materials. This avenue is the only option you'll have available if you want to fix one of the other relics, however. Another neat thing about it, is that because of its strange ability to extend itself into a whip sorta thing, it can also hit enemies from two spaces away. You'll only want to use the other relics for special occasions, or when there is no other option left. They are exclusively found in sidequests, excluding The Sword of the Creator, and your respective house leader's relic. I'd recommend you save them for the last, or second to last map. If those things break, they're gone for good. No take backs.

**Sidequests:**

Sidequests are extra missions linked to one of your allies. You'll know you have access to one, because there'll be a green exclamation point on the Saturdays of your calendar. To access them, choose "battle" for the day, and click on the mission you want. The mission description will show you the character/characters the sidequests will revolve around. Completing them will net you experience, and a better understanding of the characters they cover, and depending on which one it is, you'll either be rewarded with gold, items, or in some cases, Hero's Relics. These are also mandatory for if you want to reach a certain support rank with said character. So if you don't complete it in time, you won't get any farther in that regard. Yes, sidequests have an expiration date. But they tell you beforehand when they won't be available anymore, and they do give a reasonable amount of time to get it finished, so it's not that big of a deal. Oh, and this may go without saying, but each of these sidequests will require the character it's about to join the fight, and if they die, you lose. So if they're not up to snuff for the fight, be sure to keep them safe.

**Upgrading:**

I'm aware the technical term in Fire Emblem for this system, where you can make your units into a stronger version of themselves is called the "class system", but I didn't want to confuse any newcomers out there who might misinterpret it as me talking about the school kind of classes. Regardless, when your unit reaches a certain level, and achieves enough proficiency with the necessary skills, the option will arise to reclass them into something stronger. So for instance, an archer becoming a sniper. In this game, there are items known as "seals", which can be purchased from the item shop at the marketplace. If you get one that corresponds with the class you're aiming for, such as beginner, intermediate, or advanced, you have the chance to give your student a minor star boost, and will open the door for them to learn new techniques. Notice though, that I said "chance". Now using a seal requires your student to prove their worth in an exam. This will manifest in a percentage detailing how likely it will be that they will pass. If you want to raise this percentage, you should make them better with the skills the class demands. Once you've chosen for them to take the exam, the seal will be used regardless of the outcome. And if they fail on that day, you'll have to wait till another free day to try again with that student.

Take it from me, seals can burn up your income if you let them. Especially if you're planning on recruiting a lot of students. You should try to use your seals when the possibility of passing is... I wanna say... 68%. Of course, I'm not gonna tell you what to do with your gold, but if your student has only a 23% chance of passing, it's probably not even worth attempting it. And if you recruit a large number of people, don't use seals on units you have no intention of using. It's wise to stick with a core team, considering you only have so much time to spend before the next month's fight, so learn from the phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none", and don't spread yourself too thin.

**Who should I have on my team?:**

Team composition is always up for experimentation. It really all depends on what you find most natural. That said, there are a few constants that can help you make that judgement. You'll want to have some variety in your troops. This way, no matter what could happen, you'll have someone out there who can deal with it. Many troops can make up for another's weaknesses, so include a bit of everything. Also, again, depending on the amount of fighters you're limited to, you'll want to have one, two, or maybe even three healers. This is nice, not only because they can be in more places at once, but because if one dies, you'll still have another to keep your army fighting. You'll find the healing spell "physic" to be really helpful, because it means your healers can support their teammates without being put at risk themselves. "Warp" is also a handy spell for those situations where you need to get somewhere faster, or maybe get past a certain obstacle with a bit less legwork. But while we're on the subject of a team, nothing is more important than where your units are, and what they get up to. Positioning is vital to success, so use the overview of the battlefield before each fight to plan out what you're gonna do.

**Almost there:**

Another article of notes successfully read. I try my best to make them interesting, so that the people reading this don't feel like me when learning long division in high school. I believe the next chapter will be the last one. I'll cover some last few tips, and tricks, so look forward to it. See you guys then.


	5. Final exam

**(I'm surprised some people have found interest in this guide, considering it's a glorified instruction booklet with a few jokes. But I'm definitely not complaining. If you guys like it, I'll take it upon myself to supply it.)**

Alright, guys. Time for some last few things. Some are actually essential for the game, and some are just tips you'd probably wanna know for an easier time. So if you're ready to graduate from Blueshade's training course, let's see what you're made of!

**Doors/locks/chests:**

Most of the maps in this game take place outdoors, and in wide open areas. But you must be prepared for the times where this is not the case. There will be some situations where you'll be in a tight and restrictive corridor, and such a place will require you to get past a door to proceed. This ain't a Zelda game where you can just barge into wherever you want. Doors have locks. Locks need keys. And chances are, there'll be an enemy guarding said door who's holding them. Enemies that drop items when you defeat them have a green square symbol near their health bar. Hover over them and press the button in order to see their inventory. There should be an item that has blue text. That's the thing they'll hand over to whoever defeats them. There's going to be a point in the story where you have to locate someone who's gone missing. If you run into this situation, take that as a clue that the next mission you go on will be in one of these kinds of maps. What's worse is that this particular mission requires you to get through it in a set amount of turns, or you'll lose. So if you're feeling unsure of your abilities to face such a dilemma, be sure that one of your units gets promoted to the "thief" class. Thieves are a promotion option which will give your unit the useful ability to open any door or chest without needing a key at all! My first time around, that guy for me was Felix, and boy did he save my bacon there. But if you don't have him recruited, or don't want to recruit him, your character can also evolve into this class.

And while on the topic of chests, you'll notice one or two littered across some of the maps you'll traverse. They work the same way. They require a key to open. But unlike doors, they aren't all that necessary to anything. If you do open them however, you'll get something nice in return. Maybe a new weapon, maybe something that'll fetch a pretty penny at the marketplace, maybe even some stat boosting items. I usually Ignore them unless it's convenient for me, but you never know what you'll get your hands on. It could be something useful. I'll leave you to decide for yourself in what situations you'd feel obligated to open them. In some instances, an enemy thief will open the chest for you. Typically, this actually saves you the effort of finding a key yourself. Just wipe him out and take his stuff, and you'll have what was in that chest. It's not like he needs it where he's going anyway.

**Hazards:**

Sometimes you'll deal with a gimmick in a mission. Maybe you're in a dessert, and the sand is slowing down your units. Maybe you're in a volcanic wasteland, or a poison lake, and get hurt when you stand in certain spots. Maybe you're dealing with fog, and are unable to see where the enemy is. In all of these cases, you'll have to consider what the best course of action is. In the case of the dessert, magic users and healers can move freely, as well as flying units, so that helps. In dangerous terrain, like poison water, try to find a safe place to stand while advancing. And if that's not possible, have a healer nearby. Or have the one standing in the danger zone be one of your more resilient units. In fog, plan your advance carefully. The enemy could be anywhere, and in any orientation. So group more than one unit together as they move forward, so that anything surprises you, it won't be too devastating. And remember: they could have an archer out there too, so watch where you put your fliers.

**Stronger weapons:**

That was really the only title I could think of for this topic. But what I mean is that the material a weapon is made of will affect its traits in combat. As everyone in Fire Emblem knows, the more expensive a weapon is, the more damage it does and the better trained a unit has to be to use it. But at the same time, weaker weapons grant you more speed. And if your speed is lower than your opponent's, it will increase the likelihood they can hit you more than once in one attack. But a weapon's material also affects its durability. So try to make the most out of whatever you choose. Magic is useful, in that it's reusable. But it doesn't recharge during a fight, so there's that. Anyway, from weakest at the top to strongest on the bottom, the hierarchy of weapon types go as follows.

**Training**

**Bronze**

**Iron**

**Steel**

**Silver**

Again, this is really something that you'll need to find a fit for through experimentation. Still, whatever balance you make, it's wise not to blow a hole in your wallet. Getting caught dead with no gold is like the WORST way to go out in a Fire Emblem game, and everyone will be entitled to laugh at you when all your weapons snap in the middle of a fight.

**Mission types:**

Your objective won't always be to take out some baddies. There will be times where you'll need to reach a certain square on the map, or prevent the enemy from doing so. Or if you're unlucky, you'll have to protect some allies who may or may not be good at defending themselves. In the first situation, prioritize the enemy. If you're the one going from point A to point B, clear a path that allows atleast one unit to get there, and if necessary, try to distract the enemy. They're programmed to attack whatever is near them under most circumstances, so that can be worked into a strategy. If you're the one defending, attack the enemies who are the closest to the tiles you're keeping them away from. Eliminate their air support (their fliers) when you can, because it's without a doubt the most mobile enemy type in the game.

Now then, the protection missions. Oh boy, howdy, the protection missions. These will be when you need to keep a certain person, unit or ally, from dying. In the situations where this someone is an escortee, just take out any problems as they arise. But let's say they're all stuck in a set position. If this is the case, take out the threat first if you can. once no one's hurting them, you can afford to prioritize other things.

**Marianne's sidequest:**

This is oddly specific, but I got some difficulty whiplash from this one so, be thankful I'm walking you through it. If you have multiple sidequests to choose from, and aren't in any rush to develop your supports with Marianne, save this one till you have no others. If you succeed in this map, you'll get a Hero's Relic. Yay. But this will need you to think on your feet. In this map, Marianne will be in the center being stared down by a Demonic Beast. The Demonic Beast who must be vanquished to win the battle. Like me, your first instinct may be to get Marianne to safety, but she is actually safest just standing there for now. That Beast won't attack her until you get too close, and she's surrounded on all sides by other hungry monsters, and they _will _chase her if they see her. That's bad news for you, because if she dies it's game over. So just keep her there for now and focus on reaching her. This is a fog map, and filled to the brim with Demonic Beasts everywhere! It's okay to use some of your battalions on the other monsters, but save as many as you can for the boss. Because once he turns aggressive, you'll want to take him out as fast as you can. It's best to have a minimum of 3 units near the beast when you first attack it. You'll know that you've gotten too close if he says something along the lines of **"My demon blood is roused!" **That means, think fast and hit him with someone, anyone, or he's going to attack Marianne. Once you've hit him with someone, and assuming that person survives, they'll fish his attention away from Marianne. But now it's a matter of watching the clock, because the other nearby beasts will also close in on her one at a time. So don't get too close until you feel suitably ready. If you trigger his aggression by accident and can't rectify the situation, use Divine Pulse to rewind the action.

**Congratulations, graduates!:**

Me oh my, you did it! Byleth would be proud of your dedication to the trade. But as she would tell you, it's one thing to know war, and another entirely to fight in one. So if any of you out there actually needed this information, I hope it was useful to your teaching endeavors. So this has been Blueshade Seraphim, saying thanks for sticking around. Class dismissed.


End file.
